MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 49, 26 February 1921, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(Sy "Orjlhias.")

lII SHOTT3.

I/-

Grand Opera House—New Zealand Diggers, soason opens to-night. Bis Majesty'!— Vaudeville. The Mure Thoatro— plc'tursi. Artcraffc The»tr<a—lNeturaa. Bur Thcatro-Pleturn.. Buproc* Thcaira—Ficturai. Shortt's Th»ftW3—PietiiK»i. Strand Theatre— Pictured. Britannia Theatre—Pictures. I'rii:cß33 Theatre—Pictures. E,ver,vbeily'a Theatre—Pictorsi. Qutcn'a Theat.ro—Pieturo*.' earasiount Th«atr»—Pictur»»

"The Bells of Ouba," an, original muscial comedy, by John, Youlin Birch and Thomas Humphrey, of Auckland, is to bo presented there shortly.

The Fuller firm has secured the Australasian rights in England of "A Girl Worth "Having," by Levers and Oollirts, and Mina M'Kiniion'.s "Should a Husband Forgive?" Miss Dorothy Brunton is repeating in Sydney the success she made in London in the mueical play, "Baby Bunting." Miss Daisy Jten-nedy, who is reported to Kive made a success in New York, will tour America, until April, when sho will return to London with her husband, M. Moiseiwitech.

Among the Christmas annuals that havo triumphantly survived the war, -."Charley's Aunt" showed itself as full of vigour as any at the Princes' Theatre, in- London, where it was revived again, to the delight of a crowdedl audience. ■

It is unusual to find a wiell-known tenor anger conducting an orchestra. At the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Mr. Whyte, who has, often, been heard in, Gilbert and Sullivan opera, has' tho musical ddrection of- the "Cinderella" pantomime. For some years he has been singing in vaudeville, and in the musical productions of the Fuller management. Frances Alda, prima donna, from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, now ono of the world's most notable singers, who will give a series of concerts throughout Australia amd New Zealand under tho J. "and'N. Tait direction, is a native of Timaru.

Tho conclusion of the "Bluebeard" pantomime sea6on at the Grand Opera House in Sydney will see a return of many artists to • the Fuller vaudeville circuit. • Ferry the' Frog leaves for !New .Zealand, and Flora Cramer, the English comedienne, will tour the Dominion for the first time. De Winter and Rose take their dancing turn ii> Melbourne, and Arabia, and Gerty Falls intend to return to America.

An interesting suggestion made by.a Russian woman ■ writer' who has been visiting New York is that circus work should be so rearranged that • the acte ■would-be more or less linked together by a plot, instead of being given in the present detached form. It would take some ingenuity to devise a reason for the presence of trained geese and performing iseals in association with the barebacked riders, the "iron-jawed marvels," and the "king of the air" ; but in view of ■what has been done with American vaudeville turns by similar action, the prospect is not without hope. Successful spectacular entertainments with such titles as "Everything" have been made out of remarkably miscellaneous material by introducing a thread of story interest. Impelled by the success attending the production of his first play, "Pontius in England early last year, Piev. Francis- B. Burnett was recently the auhor of another play, "Divorce." It met with considerable success in provincial productions towards the end of last year. The reverend author .himself interpreted the principal part. -The play amounts to a homily on the dire results ■that would follow any amendment of the Divorce Act, extending its scops, and making the marriage bond nothing more than a convenient agreement. It also demonstrates £hat, in reality, divorce strikes a blow at the foundations of home life. The author weaved a plot round a British politician, working eager : ly to secure, the adoption of a new Divoreo Bill. He succeeds in doing this, dispite several attempts to dissuade him, but by making the ways to divorce easier he brings disaster to. his own family. . Years paes, and he finally retires from public life, and the climax is reached when the repentant politician vows to re-enter Parliament only to secure the repeal of his -own Divorce [ Act. It was not the clergyman-play-wright's first appearance on the stage, he having appeared in the rote of Pontius in his first play.

A Prime Minister's salary becomes microscopic when compared with that of a successful musical genius. Paderewski, Kubelik, Madame Adelina Patti, and other successful geniuses in the heydoy of their popularity earned enormous suras! Paderewski was paid forty thousand pounds for a seven-months' tour of America some years ago, but, these figures have been eclipsed by the extraordinary young Russian violinist, Jascha Heifetz, who has in a very Bhort time made a meteoric flitjht into the highest place of popularity, both in England and America. His last year in'the United States reached six figures in English money, and liin taxation assessment was enormous. ' His royalties from the ealo of hie gramophone records would alone amount to a Prime Minister's salary, and although, he rarely gives violin lessons, his fee when he can be persuaded to do so is one hundr«d and fifty pounds for twenty minutes' tuition. The contract signed by Measrs. J. and N; TaH for his forthcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand represent* the biggest «urn yet paid to any instrumentalist that has ever visited those conntries, and runs into many thousands of pounds, although the tour is a very short one. Jascha Heifetz only made his first appearance in England a few months ago, when he repeate-d the enormous buccesses that he achieved in Anierica. His ■name flashed throughout England, crowds flocked- io hear him in a scorg of cities, his appeai-ances created the same furore that haY always followed him eince his first appearance in Petrograd when he was only nine years, when he gave a recital which astounded the leading musicians, immediately after which he appeared with the Pavlovsk symphony orchestra, playing before an audience of 5000. His subsequent progress through Russia, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Norway, - and Sweden became a series of unprecedented triumphs. When affairs in Russia became chaotic, the young artist managed to leave that country; but not until September, 1917, did he reach America, after many adventures, coming from Petrograd. by way of China and the Pacific. Four years in the United States find him pre-eminent amongst musicians, the idol of the musical world, and daily providing fresh surprises for violin professors, who never cease talking of the young man's srenius.